Ciao, bby
by purpleness
Summary: A goodbye to each of the top 13 as they go, starting with Megan Joy. Plus, a dash of slashy romance for nearly everyone! *American Idol Season 8*
1. Megan Joy

Turning back to glance over the drive of her home away from home, Megan Joy took a long, deep breath. Wednesday evening had been tough, the crying, the hugging, and even Adam and Anoop's well thought out plot to hide her in the garden when the escorts came to pick her up (because they tended to hide out in the garden more than they thought people knew). But through it all, the worst part had been that tiny part of her that was itching to get away from her friends.

Ryder. Ryder, her baby boy, sitting alone, waiting for his mommy to let go of the mic and come home. Just that thought made her heart ache, but no more than the look of utter despair on Scott's face when they came to see her off.

"Megan, I'm so sorry."

The quiver in his voice hit her in the head like a load of bricks. Suddenly, crouching down in the bushes for a few hours in the cold didn't seem all that unappealing. Taking a long, slow breath, she forced a smile. Not that he could see if she was smiling or not, she could have been bawling her eyes out, if she'd kept her voice the same he wouldn't have known the difference. But she felt like treating him as though he could see, because honestly, those baby-blues went right through your soul.

"Oh, Scottie."

Megan hugged the sweet little boy one last time (which was similar to the twenty other 'one last hugs' she's given him that morning), and then stood back, holding him out to herself to look at. He was such a handsome boy, those eyes were enough to drive you right out of your mind. On that note, Megan glanced at Danny, who seemed to be a lot more tense than usual, and Matt placed a hand on his shoulder. She took that as her cue to take her hands of his man.

"Really, this is how it's meant to be,"

She could see the tears welling up in the blind man's eyes, and he nibbled at the inside of his lip, an endearing trait that made him that much cuter. She pat him on the cheek, a silent 'buck up' gesture, and he seemed to do so at once.

Watching as her suitcases were piled into the back of the taxi, and another pang of sadness ripped through her, along with forty other hiding places. Maybe living behind the bowling alley wouldn't be so bad. Lil had already offered to slip some food in a bowling ball once in a while...

One by one, the top eight filed by her, giving her farewell pats on the shoulder and hugs. When they got to the end of the procession, Megan's heart truly broke.

Allison.

Allison Iraheta stared up at Megan, her face flushed and her eyes red. Her hair hadn't been styled that morning, and she was still in her PJ pants, it was noon. She shook her head and mouthed a desperate 'no' to her, before throwing herself into Megan's arms.

She cradled the sobbing Allison in her arms, trying her best not to break down herself. If she went over, that would set Scott off, then Danny, and soon the entire affair would become a giant water-works fest. Placing a soothing kiss to the top of Allison's head, she pulled the younger woman away and sighed deeply, looking the teen over one more time.

"I... I can't believe it was you. I thought... I swear I thought..."

Megan grinned.

"Thought it'd be you? Heck no."

"But... why you?"

"Guess the universe knows where I should be, baby girl." Megan ruffled the already messy hair.

Allison sniffled. "I-If it means anything..." she looked up, straight into Megan's eyes. "If it means anything, I tried to bribe Simon to use the Judge's Save for you." her voice was nothing but a whisper.

Megan laughed loudly. "You honestly think any amount of money would make them use it on me?" She sounded skeptical. "'Sides," She placed another kiss on Allison's temple. "When they were talkin' 'bout the one person they'd have saved, you know it was you, don't you?"

Allison gasped, and Megan saw her chance, capturing her mouth for only a brief moment, leaving her speechless, as it usually did. Megan climbed into the car and blew a kiss to Allison, waving a 'toodles' to the others. "See y'all on tour!" She cried out as the group whooped and cheered and she pulled out of the drive. She was going home to Ryden, and driving away from the one person she'd ever want to share him with.


	2. Scott MacIntre

Shuffling on tiptoes, he felt his way down the driveway, using the cars as sort of checkpoints. He could have taken Lil's help, but he had too much pride to be led around like a lost toddler … _all the time_, at least. That was the Jeep he'd just touched, right? Where was that usually parked? At the end or –

"Oof. Darn it." Scott bit his lower lip, catching the bumper of the car before he hit the asphalt, which would have really hurt. He ignored the cold rush that passed over his body a second too late from the shock, and scrambled to his feet before someone saw him. They probably would have thought him incompetent – or more so, at least – if they found out he'd tripped and almost broke his nose. Again.

Running a hand through his blonde curls, he shuffled toward to the curb, and placed his duffel on the ground by what he thought was the taxi. He looked back as he heard a quiet sob on his right, trying to determine whom it was. By the incredible bass pounding from what sounded like headphones on the crier's left, he assumed it to be Kris and Matt. He smiled gently and turned his entire body back to the two, as Kris leapt into his arms, making him stumble back, and he responded with a quiet 'eek'. Kris whimpered into his shoulder, hugging him tight enough to break a rib.

"…Hey, Kris? Buddy? You're hurting me."

Scott's brow knotted together in pain as the smaller male increased the pressure on his airways, making him cough dryly, squirming to get away. Someone pried Kris off of him, and he leaned on something nearby, holding his chest, panting. Kris managed to get away from Scott's savoir and latched onto him again, not as chest-collapsingly tight this time. He managed to pull his arms out and hugged him back, placing his head on top of the shorter man's.

"Hey, come on, Kris. It's not that huge of a deal. I mean, I'll see you on tour and stuff."

This didn't settle the brunette however, and air passages in his torso began to close up again.

"This so isn't fair, Scott! Why didn't they save you? Man, Simon's gonna get karma up the ass like a bi-"

"Kris!"

He was released and he fell against whatever he'd been leaning against, wheezing. He felt Kris back up and whimpered in defeat as a new person stepped up, pulling him into a new hug, a firm, yet gentle one, practically radiating manliness. The type that made you want to join the football team or something. Matt clapped him between the shoulder blades, and ruffled his hair, making him squeak in displeasure, having had it done professionally for the last time until the tour.

"Ignore Kris. He's just upset." The man adjusted his jacket collar for him and fixed his hair, smacking him again on the shoulder. For some reason, the image his first day of school popped into his head, like it was the first scene in a bad southern soap opera. His overbearing worry wart mother played by Kris, supportive yet strict father played by Matt.

…_Weird._

Unable to get the idea of Kris in a bonnet and stockings out of his head, he turned to make himself busy with packing the taxi. His bag was almost immediately snatched out of his hands and the two insisted on doing it for him, so he stepped back. He slipped his hand in his pockets, just in time for him to get knocked off his feat by another sobbing friend. He held his shoulder and mouthed a silent 'ow' as Allison went to shove him again. He stumbled into the road and almost fell as she came with a roundhouse kick to the back of his thigh, making him cry out in pain and back up.

Before she could go for the finishing blow, the new group came sprinting down the drive, yelling things at her to stop. When she hesitated, he was snatched out of the way by what felt like Anoop. She came at him again, and he grunted as she delivered a solid blow to his stomach, and he doubled over, clutching his mid-section.

"Allison! What the hell! Oh, my God, Scott!" Someone held him around the shoulders.

Allison kicked gravel at him, making him flinch. "You are an _IDIOT_!" She bawled. "You are so _STUPID_! Why the HELL did you let yourself get kicked off! You fucking _DICK_!" He heard her scoop up a handful of pebbles off the curb and he prepared himself, when the crowd shouted out again, and the slap of skin echoed around the cul-de-sac.

"Allison. Put the rocks down."

The sound of stones falling to the sidewalk followed by Allison collapsing. "You are one of my best friends, Scott… what the fuck am I supposed to do now? It's not fair…"

Scott shuffled over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning down next to her. He smiled when she attached to him, sobbing into his chest.

"Allison. Don't cry." He murmured to her. "Please don't cry, come on, now." He rubbed her shoulder soothingly and helped her up. "It's okay. I'll see you again. Don't be sad, sweetie." He placed a friendly kiss on the top of her head, making her stop crying instantly and shy away. He blinked, about to inquire about this sudden change, when a shriek met his ears, making him turn pale.

"AH - DAM! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, NOW!"

"THERE'S NO TIME! SCOTT'S LEAVING NOW!"

"GO. SERIOUSLY."

"YOU CANT MAKE MEEEEE~!"

Feeling a sudden heat reach his cheeks when another hug appeared around his shoulders, Scott almost screamed, trying to struggle away from Adam's naked chest.

"Come on, Scottie! Show some love! Like you don't even know what I've got! You've got it too! Be a MAN!"

"NOT COOL! Adam, you're KILLING ME!"

"You're going to give him MENTAL TRAUMA!"

"SHUDDUP!"

Breath becoming shallower, Scott squirmed away from an uncomfortable push against his thigh, and he flailed his one free arm, as Danny and Matt tried to pry them apart. He chose to ignore the insane laughter coming from some of their more sadistic friends. Once he'd been disconnected from the other man, he clung to Danny in the midst of his panic, listening to Anoop slap Adam around, yelling at him about physiological scars and to go and 'put some fucking pants on, fag-face'. When Adam countered with a classic 'you don't usually seem to find mentally scarring when I walk around nude', gravel started flying everywhere.

Scott hid behind Danny, trying to avoid the fight, latching onto his back, holding him tightly around the chest. He tried to ignore the quickening heartbeat under his palms, but placed his forehead to Danny's shoulder. "… I'll miss you the most, Danny." He found himself whispering, almost out of his control.

Danny tensed, and placed a hand on the back of Scott's neck. "… I voted for you, you know."

Scott felt a grin break his face and he kissed the other man's neck. "I voted for you too,"

Danny spun around and hugged him tightly, and while it was probably tighter than Kris', he felt so full of life that he didn't care about the air escaping his chest. He hugged him back and leaned down, kissing him gently on the lips. After they pulled away, Scott noticed that the gravel fight had ended, and there was now a great deal of giggling replacing the sound of the pounding pebbles against the grass.

"So. Uh. Yeah. See you later and everything, bro." Danny stepped back, making his voice incredibly deep and hoarse of purpose.

Scott's grin leapt back and he let out a giggle, holding him back to his chest despite his whispered protests. "Love you." He murmured in the shorter man's ear, then he stepped back this time. "Yeah, totally. See you, dude." He mimicked the gruff tone Danny had used, making the man chuckle and give him one last squeeze before helping him in the taxi.

As the trunk slammed and the wheels began to turn, Scott waved back, listening to the calls of his friend over the sound of the rushing wind, and heard one voice stand out against the rest, finally seeing why it was America wouldn't let his lover go.

"_**Cheer up and dry your damp eyes, and tell me when it rains. And I'll blend up that rainbow above you and shoot it through your veins. 'Cause your heart has a lack of color, and we should've known. That we'd grow up sooner or later, cause we wasted all our free time alone…"**_


	3. Anoop Desai & Lil Rounds

For a Thursday afternoon, the two were in awfully good spirits. It's as if they glowed in comparison with the gloomy state of their friends. They both harbored giant grins and nothing but good will to the other five, with handshakes and hugs and slaps on the back (and sometimes even butt), but there seemed to be nothing that could cheer them up. They were losing two of their best friends, and even if they would see them again, it wouldn't be the same.

The bass pumped across the cul-de-sac as Lil Round and Anoop Desai sang along with the lyrics to the song, sometimes off key, but there was no Simon to scorn this, now. They felt free. They could sing any song as out of pitch and with any arrangement they liked, and there was no one breathing down their necks about getting it perfect. They could be themselves, the artists they always wanted to be.

Once the bags were all packed in the back of Anoop's taxi, he helped Lil with hers, as she seemed to be getting nothing down with all her dancing around and occasional gleeful whoop. When both cars were packed, they joined hands and did ring-around-the-rosy, right there in the middle of the street. Who cared anymore? There were no more cameras, no more interviews, no more autographs, no more criticism… they could go streaking and no one would think about it twice. (This was Hollywood, after all.)

When they 'all fell down', they tumbled, spread eagle on their backs on the front lawn, giggling and squirming around. So. This was what they had before? The feeling that their troubles were over. They could go back to their babies and parents and sleep until four in the afternoon for all anyone cared. No one would go around banging pots and pants and shrieking Alien Ant Farm because he was high. No one would be taking eight billion years in the shower to get his hair just right. No one would be inquiring which hat made him look more like Justin Timberlake. No one would keep them waiting at the gas station while he tried to choose which candy bar he wanted. No one would wake them up in the middle of the night to check under her bed for Adam playing a prank. No one to worry about. No one to care for but themselves. _Bliss._

However, this idealistic world was interrupted by a lone sniffle, and all at once they felt incredibly guilty for wanting to leave. Alien Ant Farm is cool. There were plenty of showers on Earth. Having a Justin Timberlake hat is very important. Candy selection is crucial. Adam _is_ a bitch sometimes.

Anoop propped himself up on his elbows and looked back, seeing Allison standing at the edge of the lawn, her mascara running. She had a fistful of tissues pressed to the side of her face, and it didn't look like she wanted to share them very much with her companion, Kris, who was biting hard on his lower lip to keep back whatever emotion he was feeling. Lil exhaled slowly and put on her 'mama' face, then pushed herself to her feet, moving over next to them, where Allison lunged at her, sobbing and pleading her not to go. Anoop joined them and smiled to Kris, rubbing his back as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Man. This is so _messed up_."

Anoop couldn't help but grin at how horribly wrong he was. There was nothing, _nothing_ wrong in the world. He could breathe free of those tight vests they always put him in and wear his nice, loose plaid shirt and khaki shorts again. The thought of being able to get out of bed and not comb his hair made him feel weak with glee.

"Nah. Not really."

Lil tried to contain an excited whoop as Allison continued to weep into her, as if the two were fueling each other's bliss. When they met one another's eyes, they suddenly burst out giggling. Allison jumped back, surprised by this sudden sound, and gazed upon the two continuing their dance around the lawn, occasionally joining hands to do a patty-cake type of ritual which neither were on the same page with and mostly turned into a slap fight.

The two mourners stared at one another, brows raised. Seeing as the last few good-byes had been so tearful, they figured this one to be also, but they seemed almost… _overjoyed_ with the prospect of loosing.

"Hey, guys? Uhm… what are you so happy about?"

Kris managed to pipe up, almost instantly regretting doing so. Anoop whirled around and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him farther onto the lawn, guiding him through a clumsy two-step. Even as distressed as he was about loosing two of his friends, he couldn't hold back a grin when they tripped and tumbled back into the grass. Anoop let out a half-hearted 'woo-hoo', and flopped over, panting to regain his breath. When he had, he leapt back to his feet and scooped Kris up bridal style and dropped him on his feet.

"We're not _happy_, so much. It's just funny is all."

The man explained vaugly, taking his hand again and spinning him around, catching him before he hit the grass, laughing merrily.

"Wh-what's funny?" Allison inquired, holding her hands hard over her chest, afraid that she too would be forced into dancing.

"Y' haven't noticed?" Lil laughed, a loud, hearty laugh, but not a healthy one. This laugh was filled with bitterness.

"All the minorities are gone, baby! I'm the last black person, Jumbo here's was the only Indian, Scott had the disability, Jorge was Hispanic… do I gotta go on?" She asked, accompanied by another bitter 'ha'.

Kris' grin was gone in a second.

"…No, you guys, that's not true. That's not why you got voted out."

"That and we suck at singing." Anoop cut in, and the two had a genuine laugh again, the awkward air seeming to clear between them. Leaving Kris and Allison fidgety and nervous.

"No you don't!" Allison piped up, and the laughing stopped. She bit back her tongue at once.

"Whatever you say," Lil shrugged. "We oughta get going, my plane's not gonna wait for me." She leaned over and kissed Allison on the cheek, then Kris, and gave Anoop a hug. "Love y'all! Tell everyone I said 'yo'!" She hopped over to the taxi, breaking the heel of her sandal, but not seeming to care. She flopped into the seat and closed the door and kicked out her legs to stretch onto the passenger seat as the car rolled away.

Once Lil had gone, Anoop nodded to the two. "I should probably be getting out too." He pat them both on the shoulders. "Take care, you guys. See you in a couple months." He turned to head to the taxi, when something hit in sharply on the tailbone and he cried out, turned around to see a stone resting at his feet. He frowned and looked around, as both Allison and Kris shrugged. He quirked an eyebrow, looking up at the house, seeing only one window open and he groaned.

"I should have known this would happen…"

He scooped up the stone and tossed it to Kris.

"Tell Adam to cut it out and that bombarding me doesn't make me want to stay. In fact, it kind of ruins the whole idea." He shook his head and turned back to the taxi, when he was hit again. He spun around again to see the same stone lying at his feet again, Kris and Allison about half a mile down the road. He couldn't help but laugh.

Scooping up the stone, he looked it over. There was nothing that special about it, until he flipped it over. He went pale and then all of a sudden very hot.

'Luv U' was carved with what was probably a pushpin, into a deep purple gem, which was half lodged inside. He tugged on the gem and pulled it out, seeing it was tied around a silver chain. He looked the small talisman over and found a clasp on the side, which he pushed on with his thumbnail, and it popped open, displaying a picture of Adam with his arm around Anoop's shoulders.

"Like it?"

He glanced up. Adam stood beside him, looking over his shoulder, half on his tiptoes.

"Took me forever to find that picture, you know. I had to resize it and everything on the computer."

He spoke as if this love confession was nothing. Almost dropping the necklace, Anoop gave the older man a shove.

"You're a dick." He muttered, trying to hide his blush. He slipped the necklace around his neck and tucked it under his shirt. He gave Adam a half-hearted glare before breaking into a smile and giving him a hug.

"You've got suckish timing." He muttered.

"Surprisingly, I don't get that a lot."

Anoop pulled back and shoved him again. "Shut up. Perv." He grumbled, rubbing his nose in humiliation at the pictures that jumped into his mind.

Adam chuckled and gave him a slap on the back. "I'll see you later, man." He murmured, helping him into the taxi. Anoop looked back up at him and took his hand momentarily through the window, then let the grasp slip when the car began to roll away. He heard Adam running after for a few seconds, then the footfalls stopped and he glanced back to see him waving.

He waved back, holding the locket in his other hand.


	4. Matt Girard

"It's perfectly fine to be a happy individual." The man recited along with the song pounding in his ears as he danced lazily down the stairs. It had been an _insufferably_ long night, what with all the crying and screaming and throwing things, and how he didn't start any of it.

Kris and Adam had gotten into a fight over who should have gone home, Adam defending himself, and Kris defending Matt. He himself had gotten a tremendous headache and ended it by slapping Kris across the face and screaming at him to 'get the fuck over it already' at about three A.M. This made Allison shriek and burst into tears. Then had come the comforting and lulling her to sleep, then the awkward apology session that Danny had forced upon the three and the lecture in which they were all going to act as though it never happened in the morning.

Part of him hated having to shield Allison from everything, she'd see worse things in her life than two men hitting and screaming at each other. Either way, if he was going to leave that day without a broken rib courtesy of Mr. Gokey, he had to put on a happy face. So he did, and he hopped the last step, running into the teen in the main hall. He turned off his MP3 and pulled out his earbuds. She wore a weary smile, huge circles beneath her eyes, unbecoming of such a pretty girl.

"…Morning Matt."

Her voice was frail and gentle, as if she was testing to see if he was still angry. He replied to these suspicions with a smile mirroring her tone.

"Good morning."

He held her in a hug, a slow, long one. He wanted to remember her as she was at that moment, before she was exposed to the horrors of real life, like the ones that had made him lash out at Kris the night before. They stood in the hall, not speaking, just listening to the other breath and their pulse echo around their ears, as if desperate to memorize the other's being in those few seconds. When they separated, Matt patted her on the back gently and ruffled her hair.

"You're gonna do fine, kid."

"I sure hope so."

Matt smiled again. "So, you think everyone's still P.O.'d at me for last night?" He asked quietly.

Allison winced at the mention of the events that took place. "N-no. I… I mean, you were tired, we all were, and you had a lot on your mind anyway, and the last thing you needed was… you know. _I_ don't blame you." She offered.

Matt smiled and gave her another quick hug. "That means a lot to me, Alli. Thanks." Adjusting his hat, he watched her scurry around him and scoop up his bags. "Oh, no, really, you don't…"

"I want to." Allison interrupted at once. "You helped Scottie with his… I - I wanna help." She bit her lip shyly.

Matt grinned. "Aw, thanks, kid. I'll be out in a second." He watched her hurry out of the house and turned to address the shadow that had appeared in the corner of his eye since he and Allison had ended their hug. "Adam, you don't have to hide. I won't hit you."

The taller man revealed himself, scowling at the comment. "I wasn't _hiding_."

"Yes you were."

"Shut up."

Adam approached him and touched him on the back, a swift, brutally firm slap between the shoulder blades. "I'm sorry about everything that happened. I don't know what I was thanking getting into it with him… we should have made your last night special."

"Huh?" Matt frowned, having been expecting another shouting match. "Oh. Uh, thanks, man." He blinked and patted him on the shoulder.

Adam smiled, a genuine smile, not one of those on-camera ones. "Yeah. Well, anyway, I'll see you on tour and stuff, okay?"

"Right. Question, is Danny gonna talk to me before I leave of am I getting the cold shoulder?"

"Cold shoulder, for sure. But if he were talking to you, I'd assume he'd say 'you're dream isn't over' and 'God be with you' or some other religious spiel."

The two men had a good laugh with how predictable their friend was.

"I would think so. Well, thanks. I'll talk to you later. Call me some time." They had another hug and a manly handshake, and Adam disappeared into the kitchen.

Right at that moment, his blood ran ice cold, or perhaps it didn't move at all, because in some way or another he died for a split second. He felt someone's tongue in his mouth, hands on his body, and he was being forced against the wall.

"Wh – what the – ? The fuck – Kris, get _off_ –!"

He grabbed the other man by the shoulders and shoved him hard, causing him to hit the railing on the stairs. He stumbled momentarily and fell against the stairs, panting and disheveled, but looking very proud of himself.

"I love you."

And he died again.

"… _What_? What the _fuck_? Kris!"

"I love you. I love you I love you I love you. I'll keep saying it until you hear me because I fucking _love_ you." There was a tinge of desperation in his voice as he struggled to his feet. "Matt Girard, I love everything about you and I don't want anyone else. Please." He approached him again, but Matt backed up.

"Kris. You don't know what you're saying. You don't love me. You're married. I'm a _guy_! You're upset because I got voted off and you want me to stay, that's understandable –"

"For God's sake, Matt! I watch you sleep!"

"…You… you do _what_?"

"I watch you sleep. I watch you sleep and I think about how much I want to be every woman whose ever touched you. I think about what it would be like if I didn't marry Katy and if you were gay or if I were a chick or something, and what it would be like to have you inside of me and it feels amazing and I want it –"

"Kris, that's not love, that's –"

"And then I think about what our kids would be like and what it would be like to know that you'd never look at anyone the way you look at me. That smile that makes me weak at the knees, you'd never show it to _anyone but me_. And you'd tell me every night before we made love that you never wanted to be with _anyone but me_. And I'd wake up in your arms and go to work in your shirt and come home and kiss you and tell you that I've never seen anyone as sexy as you and then we'd do it wherever we were at the time – "

"Kris, God, shut _up_!"

"And then we'd go and visit Danny and Scott and tell them everything that's happened to us and Scott and I can make you guys dinner and we can just talk and have fun and I want it you bad I think I'm going to throw up." He was crying now, so desperate that he couldn't control himself.

Matt covered his face with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut. Sure did sound an awful lot like love. He clenched his teeth and when he finally looked up again, Kris was right there, staring at him. He had to bite his own knuckle as not to scream.

"…Kris. I have to tell you, those things… are not… the same for me. I don't love you. Not like that at least." He tried to explain as best he could. "I love you like a brother or a best friend or –"

"Matt _please_." Kris' lower lip was trembling. "Please. At least let me kiss you again. For my sake. _Please_."

Staring down at him, Matt couldn't think of anything to do. He didn't _want _to kiss him, because he was a married man, but all those things he'd said were so sweet…

"…Fine. But only a quick one and _no tongue_."

You could have told him he'd just won a billion dollars and he would never look as happy as he did at that moment.

"Oh, Matt, _thank you_."

He approached him and Matt forced himself not to back away. He placed one hand on Matt's shoulder and the other on his hip and leaned up, pressing their lips together.

It wasn't as shocking as the first time, partially because he knew it was coming, and partially because he was so sweet about it. It wasn't the type of kiss you normally got, it was practically overflowing with a deeper meaning and he could feel Kris begging for him. Still new in the prospect of how to kiss another guy, he slid his tongue into Kris' mouth and couldn't help but grin when he felt the smaller man give a delighted shudder.

When he began to get short on breath, he separated them, breathing heavily. He closed his eyes and tried to relive the kiss in his head, how tender and loving it had been, not really masking Kris' lust, but more embracing it. When he'd stopped panting he looked down at Kris with slightly stunned eyes, and kissed him again, this one less breath and more tongue, the passion right in the open this time. He could feel Kris' heart pounding against his own chest, thoughts of 'Oh my God why am I doing this' rushing around his head.

Of course, Kris was a married man. And a _man_, for that matter. But nonetheless, Matt had never felt like he really truly had someone's one hundred percent affection, and it felt _amazing_. They pulled away again, Kris giving a small whine of disappointment, but silenced himself when Matt pat his bottom.

"…I will most _definitely_ see _you_ on tour. Call me if you ever want to talk."

He licked his lips and watched Kris' face darken and Matt tried to bite back the urge to jump on him.

"…Yup. See you."

They kissed again, this one much more like the first, but faster. Matt dodged out of the house before something ruined how perfectly whole he felt. How perfectly complete, knowing there was someone who loved him probably more than he loved his wife. While that may have been a disturbing concept to some, it was the sweetest thing he'd ever experienced.

Matt hugged Allison once again and smiled back to the house where Kris was standing in the doorway, still looking rather lightheaded, and waggled his fingers. Matt blew a kiss and watched as the smaller man caught it and giggled. Climbing into the taxi, Matt told the driver where to go. Once they'd rounded the corner, he heard his cell phone blasting his own voice and he opened it, pressing it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Wanna talk?"

He grinned.


	5. Allison Iraheta

Note: This is going to be a bit weird, seeing as Megan already went home, but I wanted more slash, so the structures gonna be all over the place, so please bare with me. _______ Gracias~

P.S.: There are hint of Adoop, Kratt, and Scanny in this chapter, along with Megison 8D so enjoy that~

The first day home and the only thing she wanted to do was go back to Hollywood.

She thought, at least in Hollywood she wasn't constantly reminded of her failure with sympathetic glances or pats on the back. She was aware that she'd get something from Idol, but it hurt nonetheless. She loved hanging out with the guys and being separated from them hurt worse than anything else in the world could ever.

So it was a giant surprise to find the greatest thing in the world sitting on her front lawn.

"Ba – de – ya, say, do you remember? Ba – de – ya, dancing in September? Ba – de – ya, never was cloudy day."

Alexis held Ryan's arms as she made the little sweetheart sway to the beat of the boom box pumping Earth, Wind & Fire across around the neighborhood. The little girl giggled uncontrollably as her mother let her go, and she toddled over to Scott, collapsing in his lap. The man chuckled and scooped her up into his grasp, rocking her expertly back and forth as she reached up and tapped the side of his clean-shaven face with her fisted hand. He laughed and kissed her on the forehead, placing her back in his lap, continuing to play with her.

Anoop sat on the porch, tapping his hands against the wooden pole, keeping in rhythm. You could see the urge to break out into dance bubbling up inside of him, but his usual humble nature allowed him to resist. Matt watched him, a grin creeping up on his face as he tortured him by singing along to the catchy beat.

Megan stood in the center of this all, bopping along to the beat with Ryder on her hip, encouraging Anoop to join in without speaking. When she spotted the car pulling up, she handed her son off to Matt and scampered off the porch, racing up to the curb and skidding to a halt, an overly enthusiastic grin on her face.

Allison's entire face lit up like a star.

She leapt out of the car and tackled her, crying gleefully, rubbing her face into Megan's shoulder. She didn't care how badly she was screwing up her make-up, she had her Megan back, that was all that mattered in the world.

Once the greetings were done with, the seven (plus the two children) piled into the house, where Allison was briefed on the plan. Sitting on the couch with Megan's arm around her shoulder, she typed on her laptop, setting up the webcam. The others settled around her and she stood, setting the computer back. She clicked play and then scrambled back to her seat, sitting between Megan and Scott.

"Hey, you guys!"

She chirped, waving, leaning gently on Megan.

"Hello from the losers! You guys are great, and we're all cheering for you! But a few of us want to give you each individual messages, so here we go! Starting with Scott!"

Everyone turned to look at the blonde and he flushed.

"W – why me f – first?" With a quick jab to the ribs and a mumbled half-cuss, he cleared his throat and gave a forced smiled at the computer.

"Okay. So, uh, you three are all really, really amazing. I'm gonna vote for all of you. But, uh, Danny, I really miss you and…" he turned bright red and leaned back against the sofa, making Matt and Anoop 'awww' in a semi-mocking way. "…Yeah. That's it."

Megan giggled and licked her lips. "You're adorable, Scott." She pat the man on the shoulder from behind Allison's back. "Okay, Matt next."

Matt grinned, having been prepared. "'Kay. Alright, first of all, I'm not as sappy as Scott, so I just want to say that Kris is going to demolish both of you, so be ready for that." This caused quite a rise from Scott, but Alexis silenced him with a hand across his mouth, "Second, dude, Adam, the _hell_ were you wearing last week? Drag queen much?" Allison giggled. "But really, tone it down a bit, okay? And lastly, Kris, stay golden, 'kay babe? I'll throw it over to Anoop now."

Anoop sighed and rolled his eyes. "For the record, he wasn't being a _drag queen_, Matt. Those were men's clothes." Matt burst out laughing and fell off the sofa, and Anoop kicked him. "It isn't funny, dipshit! _I_ liked it, anyway."

"You would."

Anoop got up and stepped on his leg, making his cry out in agony. He flopped back down and blinked. "…What was a saying? Shit!" She chewed his lip then grinned as it came back to him. "Ah yes. Anyway, Adam, keep dressing it up, man. Chicks love it."

"Chicks and _Anoop_."

"Girard, you are just _asking_ for a foot up the ass today!"

Megan laughed loudly. "Anyway, that's all guys! And don't let Seacrest get a hold of this tape or anything, he'll milk this down to the last drop. _No one_ will live it down. So, see you on tour, anyway! Bye!"


	6. Danny Gokey

_AHH. GADS. I'M SO LATE. BUT UM. YEAH. HAHA. SHUSH._

_Better late than never, amirite? :B_

_I know this one is short and llllllameeeeee, buuuutttt…_

_Uummm. Enjoy orz;; ?_

_:D_

Devastation didn't even start to cover how he felt as he had left that stage a few nights before. They'd voted him off. _Him_. Danny Gokey. Favorite from the start. He'd _lost_. To _Kris Allen_. Now, losing to Adam wasn't that huge of a deal – Adam was very popular with teenage girls. And even teenage guys who swung that way.

But from what he'd seen on fansites, he'd figured he was the favorite, at least over Kris 'the black horse' Allen. _Kris_? _Seriously_? When did people start _liking_ him? He was interested when he skimmed his way into the top thirteen, impressed when he got to the top eleven, surprised in the top ten, bewildered in the top nine, shocked in the top eight, incredulous in the top seven, jolted in the top six, astounded in the top five, _horrified_ in the top four, now his confidence had been pillaged to a cataclysmic extent.

This was horrible. This was beyond sickening. This was… _unacceptable_. He was a shoe-in! A _shoe-in_!! And he's lost. By a lot, hearing what Seacrest had said to Kris, as if reassuring him of his victory. Humble, meek little Kris, who'd offered to drop out if it meant Danny was saved. Well, it was hard to be angry at a cute little face like his, but where else was there to take it out on? He wasn't even necessarily angry anymore – just shocked. (And… if he chewed the little guy out, he may never forgive himself – not to mention the beating he'd _surly_ receive from Matt.)

Danny awaited pickup from the airport. He was taking a bus to another terminal to get on a connecting flight back home. Not that he really wanted to be home – there was really only one other place he'd like to be at that moment. The mansion sounded good, but that wasn't it.

"Hey! Um, hello?"

Danny started out of his self-piteous daydreams and stared up at a semi-familiar face. It was a face he'd seen a few times before, but never for long…

"… Oh, hey. You're Todd, right?"

The blonde beamed, apparently ecstatic that the great Danny had remembered him. Brushing a lock of dead-straight hair out of his eyes, he nodded.

"Yup! Hey, I heard about the show Wednesday from Scott… rough, man."

Danny bit the inside of his lip. He should have been used to peoples' random condolences by this point, but it made him feel worse.

"Oh, you know, for you, too."

Danny looked back up at him. He frowned. Who else could it be bad for?

"Yeah, Scott was totally crushed. Man, it was hard for him to see you go. He had crazy high hopes for you."

Shaking his blonde mop, Todd shrugged.

"Well, he'll get over it, right? Anyway, I'll see you, man."

Passing him by, Todd patted him on the back briefly.

Danny stared out at the sidewalk for a few minutes, face utterly devoid of emotion. But behind his eyes, fireworks blasted. Scott cared that much over his getting voted off? Licking at his mouth, he found his phone in his hand. He'd taken it out, and had scrolled down to Scott's name in the contacts without looking, knowing the order by heart. Boy, he needed other people to talk to. He squeezed the green 'call' button, and pressed the phone to his ear.

After five rings, the answering machine picked up,

"You've reached the MacIntyres'. We can't take your call right now b –"

_click_

"Hullo? I mean, whose speaking, please?"

Perfect, polished church manners. Danny grinned.

"Hey, Scott. It's Danny."

A pause.

"Hello?"

"Um, hey."

"Hey, I just saw your brother."

"Oh."

"Yeah. He said that you've been sorta upset since Wednesday."

Another pause.

"…Scott? Are you still there?"

"Mhm."

"Oh. Um, are you gonna say anything?"

"'Bout?"

"…Um, did you heard what I said?"

"Yeah."

"…'Bout that."

"It was a statement, Danny. Not a question. I don't have to answer a statement."

How his grammatically correct ways tortured the older man. But he grit his teeth and took a deep breath before saying,

"Are you okay?"

Pause. A longer one that both expect the other to break.

"I guess."

"You sure? You don't sound okay."

"Then why are you asking if you _can tell_?"

"Um, alright, snap at me. What's up with you?"

"Look Danny, I'm not always lilies and rainbows, got it? I have bad days too. Everyone does."

"Scott, what's wrong with you? Come on, this is not like you. Even when you're ticked you're not like this. I'm worried about you."

_Pause_.

"…Come on, Sunshine. Talk to me."

A sob. Oh, _shit_.

"Scottie? Jellybean, what's wrong?"

He didn't care about the stares he was getting from using such an intimate nickname to a man – his Scottie baby was upset and he didn't give a _fuck_ what anyone though about him when that gorgeous boy was crying alone.

"I miss you. So fucking much. And I know that all the times I've been lying here alone, having to force myself to sleep when I don't have you here … I told myself it was so you can get a better life for yourself … but now it's like it was for nothing … I feel horrible and selfish and I'm such a whiny little bitch and I'm so sorry …"

"Scott. Don't talk about yourself like that."

"But it's tr-"

"It certainty is not! You know what? I'm getting a flight to Arizona right now."

"What! No, Danny, no, don't, please – !"

"Shut up, would you? I'm coming over, and I'm going to smother you with so much attention you'll be begging me to go home."

"…I, um, don't think that could ever happen."

A giggle. Thank _God_.

"We'll have to see. I'll call you when I get my ticket. I love you, Scottie. So much."

"I love you too, Danny. Bye-bye."


End file.
